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Nasir al-Din al-Tusi
Khawaja Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Hasan Tūsī or Nasir Ad-Din Al-Tusi (Persian: محمد بن محمد بن الحسن طوسی‎‎) (born 17 February 1201 in Ṭūs,Khorasan – died on 25 June 1274 in al-Kāżimiyyah district of metropolitan Baghdad), better known as Nasīr al-Dīn Tūsī (Persian:نصیر الدین طوسی‎‎; or simply Tusi in the West), was a Persian polymath and prolific writer: An architect, astronomer, biologist, alchemist, mathematician, philosopher, physician, physicist, scientist and theologian. He was an Ismaili, thus his Imam was also the Assassins' Imam. The Muslim scholar Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406) considered Tusi to be the greatest of the later Persian scholars. History At a young age he moved to Nishapur to study philosophy under Farid al-Din Damad and mathematics under Muhammad Hasib. He met also Farid al-Din 'Attar, the legendary Sufi master who was later killed by Mongol invaders and attended the lectures of Qutb al-Din al-Misri. He studied with many other great Mentors until the armies of Genghis Khan swept his homeland and he was employed by the Assassins and made his most important contributions in science during this time when he was moving from one stronghold to another. He was captured after the invasion of Alamut castle by the Mongol forces. Astronomy Tusi convinced Hulegu Khan to construct an observatory for establishing accurate astronomical tables for better astrological predictions. Beginning in 1259, the Rasad Khaneh observatory was constructed in Azarbaijan, south of the river Aras, and to the west of Maragheh, the capital of the Ilkhanate Empire. Evolution and Biology In his Akhlaq-i-Nasri, Tusi put forward a basic theory for the evolution of species almost 600 years before Charles Darwin, the English naturalist credited with advancing the idea, was born. He begins his theory of evolution with the universe once consisting of equal and similar elements. According to Tusi, internal contradictions began appearing, and as a result, some substances began developing faster and differently from other substances. He then explains how the elements evolved into minerals, then plants, then animals, and then humans. Tusi then goes on to explain how hereditary variability was an important factor for biological evolution of living things: "The organisms that can gain the new features faster are more variable. As a result, they gain advantages over other creatures. ... The bodies are changing as a result of the internal and external interactions." Tusi discusses how organisms are able to adapt to their environments: "Look at the world of animals and birds. They have all that is necessary for defense, protection and daily life, including strengths, courage and appropriate tools organs ... Some of these organs are real weapons, ... For example, horns-spear, teeth and claws-knife and needle, feet and hoofs-cudgel. The thorns and needles of some animals are similar to arrows. ... Animals that have no other means of defense (as the gazelle and fox) protect themselves with the help of flight and cunning. ... Some of them, for example, bees, ants and some bird species, have united in communities in order to protect themselves and help each other." Tusi recognized three types of living things: plants, animals, and humans. He wrote: "Animals are higher than plants, because they are able to move consciously, go after food, find and eat useful things. ... There are many differences between the animal and plant species, ... First of all, the animal kingdom is more complicated. Besides, reason is the most beneficial feature of animals. Owing to reason, they can learn new things and adopt new, non-inherent abilities. For example, the trained horse or hunting falcon is at a higher point of development in the animal world. The first steps of human perfection begin from here." Tusi then explains how humans evolved from advanced animals: "Such humans anthropoid apes live in the Western Sudan and other distant corners of the world. They are close to animals by their habits, deeds and behavior. ... The human has features that distinguish him from other creatures, but he has other features that unite him with the animal world, vegetable kingdom or even with the inanimate bodies. ... Before creation of humans, all differences between organisms were of the natural origin. The next step will be associated with spiritual perfection, will, observation and knowledge. ... All these facts prove that the human being is placed on the middle step of the evolutionary stairway. According to his inherent nature, the human is related to the lower beings, and only with the help of his will can he reach the higher development level." Sources * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasir_al-Din_al-Tusi Category:Scholars